Hymn to the Sea
by Spoongirl1
Summary: Clinging to a deck chair in the middle of the Atlantic, a young girl waits for her salvation. One-Shot


_Candlelight dies at the window_

_And the night wind blows soft from the sea_

_Though I lie in your arms, I'm a thousand miles away_

_On the waves sailing fast, sailing free_

The young woman drew a breath, small clouds of fog escaping her lips, momentarily blurring the bright stars that dotted ink black sky above her. The cold sliced her to the bone, but not so much as the tortured screams and cries for help surrounding her. Pressing her hands tightly to her ears, she took another short, freezing breath and began again.

_Now I'm bound for the heart of the ocean_

_I'm riding the sea in my soul_

_In the dark and the deep_

_She will rock me to sleep_

_Down below... where the black waters roll_

Keeping her eyes focused on the stars above, to the point that their brightness almost blinded her, she tried to turn her mind to anything but the icy numbness that was beginning to creep through her and the overwhelming urge to just fall asleep and let it all end. But she'd made a promise and she'd be damned if she broke that promise. Blinking away the tears that were threatening to freeze to her lashes, she struggled to recall the next verse of the song that her daideó used to sing when she was a little girl.

_When the sea birds cry out in the morning_

_And the sun lays its kiss on the sand_

_I'll be drawn to the shore_

_Like so many times before_

_As I long to be far from the land._

She could barely hear herself above the never-ending litany of anguished cries, but she wasn't sure if it was because the cries were growing louder or her voice was growing weaker. Another wave slapped at the side of her makeshift raft, soaking her hair and dress, but she was afraid if she tried to move to adjust the cold, clinging fabric that she'd capsize the deck chair that she was precariously balanced on and once she went back into the sea, she wouldn't have the strength to pull herself out again.

_Now I'm bound for the heart of the ocean_

_I'm riding the sea in my soul_

_In the dark and the deep_

_She will rock me to sleep_

_Down below... where the black waters roll_

Her thoughts now moved to the man that she'd left back on the great ship. He'd tried so hard to save her, to protect her, but there had been nothing he could've done to stop her hands from slipping from his grasp, as the ship's deck pitched dangerously beneath them, sending her sliding down into the dark waters. She'd heard him shout her name or perhaps she'd imagined that part, she wasn't sure, but she knew that the fear in his eyes as he watched her fall so far away from him was real and that he was thinking the same thing she was, that this was the end, the end of everything. But it hadn't been the end. She'd disappeared under the black water; water so cold that it stole all the air from her lungs. A wave or perhaps another body knocked her to the side and she found herself surfacing far from the ship. A deck chair had floated past and she'd clung to it like a life preserver, using it to leverage most of her body out of the water. And now she lay to wait, wait to die, wait for morning, wait for what she wasn't sure, but she knew that she must wait, because he would never forgive her for giving up on him, not when she'd promised she would be strong.

_I can still hear your voice on the trade winds_

_I can still taste your tears on the foam_

_But the lure of the tide that I'm feeling inside_

_Will not rest till my heart finds its home_

The girl imagined that as her voice grew fainter, so to did the cries around her until all she could hear was the lap of waves against the wood and her own shuddering breaths. Turning her head slightly, she looked out at the now-still ocean and the motionless bodies bobbing like corks, only held afloat by their life preservers. It felt almost impossible to imagine that only a few short hours before, she'd been curled up on a deck chair just like the one she laid on, wrapped up safe and warm in the arms of the man she loved, on the grandest ship in the entire world. But that moment was gone and now she lay, alone and freezing, singing softly to herself, in the hopes that it might give her the strength to cling to life, for at least a few hours more.

_Now my heart is the heart of the ocean_

_There are storms from the sea in my soul_

_I'm restless and deep_

_And before I can sleep_

_I must go... where the black waters roll_

_Where the black waters roll_

_Where the black waters roll_

_Where the black waters roll…_

Disclaimer: Do not own characters or scenes belonging to Jack Cameron. All original characters created by me.

A/N: So this is my first attempt at Titanic fanfic. Its just a little teaser, that will be fleshed out into a full story if people seem interested enough. Most of the characters from Titanic will be featured, but the story will center on Tommy Ryan, because he's one of the most interesting, but underdeveloped characters in the film, in my opinion...


End file.
